This recipe for My Best Chili is a major favorite around here! It’s a hearty, warming chili made with ground beef, bacon, sausage, and just the right amount of kick.
Talk about a throw back, you guys. I bet you’re guessing you’re on the wrong website right now…right?? 😁 Chili is not usually my typically fare…but, little known to most, lurking in the back of my recipe archives, are a couple savory recipes lurking around.
I posted the recipe for my “best chili” way back in December of 2010, only a couple of months after Bakerita was founded. I shared more savory recipes back then, and because I was a new blogger, my pictures could only be described as terrible.
Case in point, this is the original picture attached to this recipe:
I’ve made this recipe so many times over the years, and I’ve heard from some of you who it’s become a staple for as well. Since we’re heading firmly into cold soup territory where the weather is concerned, I decided to was time to finally update the photos, and give you a taste of one of my savory favorites.
Chili is one of my favorite cold weather foods – it’s thick and hearty, and seriously soul-warming. I always go for a sprinkle of cheese on top, too. Served with cornbread? It’s pretty much the perfect meal for any chilly day, especially game day! Pssst – I’ve been working on a gluten-free cornbread recipe…it’s coming soon! :)
My overzealous, newly blogging self named this the “best” chili, but I know how subjective that is based on the person. So I’m calling it my best chili, because for me it’s perfect…but we all have different tastes. Like…I’m a bit of a spice wimp, so be sure to jack up the amount of chili powder if you want a lot of kick.
This chili is tomato-based with ground beef, crumbled Italian sausage, and BACON! It’s got pinto and black beans, and a whole load of spices. It’s flavorful, warming, easy, and delicious. The best kind of meal, right?
I always try to let this cook for as long as I can. It can be done in about 2 hours, but with chili, I always think that low and slow is the way to go to get a thick, flavorful chili. It’s great day of, and the leftovers are even better.
I hope my favorite, best chili recipe will be loved by you and help warm your soul a bit in this cooler weather! Enjoy :)
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Snapchat
Remember to #bakerita if you try the recipe!
- 2 pounds ground beef (I used leaner beef with 5% fat)
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage, mild, casings removed
- ½ pound bacon
- 2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained
- 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
- 2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 cups beef stock (see Notes)
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (make sure to find gluten-free if necessary, or leave it out)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
- In a different pan, cook the bacon until crispy. Crumble and add to stock pot. Cook the chopped onion and pepper in the bacon drippings for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add to the stock pot.
- To the stock pot, add in the drained beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and beef stock. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, basil, salt, pepper, and paprika. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste.
- Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day. Serve with cheese, onions, sour cream, or whatever chili toppings you prefer!
New York City Girl Expat in Tokyo says
Oh isn’t chili just the best? The cornbread looks delish….nothing is more comforting than a nice bowl of chili, and southern corn bread.
Dan Minteer says
Rachel, I made your chili today. It IS the best! We love it.
Your website is fabulous. I plan to try more recipes.
David says
Sounds delish…
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
Chili is one of my favorite dishes to make when the weather get cooler. It’s such perfect comfort food. This looks SO good, Rachel! I love how hearty and full of flavor it is. Definitely my kind of meal!
Ashley says
Isn’t it amazing to see how far our photography has come over the years??? Crazy! It always blows my mind. ANYWAY! I love chili during the cooler weather and this sounds fantastic!
Rachel says
Haha it always makes me cringe to see my earliest photos, but I can’t delete them entirely because I’m nostalgic about them! So funny. Thanks so much, Ashley :)
Amanda says
I’ve got my scarf on and I’m ready for cold weather comfort food like this! I’ve never had bacon in chili before. This is something. I need to experience!
Rachel says
It is SO good, Amanda! You’ll never go back :) thanks so much!
Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures says
Yum! So hearty and perfect for fall!
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
This chili looks perfect for a cool fall evening!
Natasha @ Salt and Lavender says
My husband would LOVE this. Believe it or not, I’ve never made chili. I really need to make him one hahaha. I guess it just never really appealed to me even though I am a total carnivore and like everything in it (love beans too!). I’m just weird, I guess. Anyway, yours looks fabulous. Sharing!
Rachel says
You need to make chili!! It’s so good and when you make it yourself, you can totally customize the spices to your preferences. Thanks so much, Natasha.
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
Chili is a regular staple at our house during the fall Rachel. Perfect for football season! Can’t wait to try your recipe!
Rachel says
I love making it during the fall, too Mary Ann! It’s the perfect leftover food :) Thanks so much.
Jessica says
This recipe was a hit! We have a chili cook off every year at our church Halloween party, I only made the dish to be sure we had enough chili for all who came, I wasn’t really competing but I won the cook off! Well, your recipe won. There were about 20 entries, and some of the contestants have been competing for years! I told everyone I follow a recipe very well hehe. Thank you for sharing your talent! This is a recipe that will go into my regular cold weather rotation. And I’ll add your hashtag to my pic of the trophy on facebook.
Rachel says
Wow!!! That makes me so happy to hear, Jessica :) thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. It’s been a favorite of mine for years, so I’m happy to hear others appreciate it too. Can’t wait to see the trophy pic!
Rosie Duu says
Made this last night! It was amazing! I usually used a chili mix but decided to try something new. My hubby loves my chili but he really love this recipe! Thanks for sharing I will use you recipe from now own!!!! This one is a keeper!!!
Rachel says
Thank you SO much for your feedback, Rosie! I’m so happy that you and your husband loved it. It’s a keeper in my house, too! :)
Amy says
This looks delicious! Going to start it now and I can’t wait to taste it!
Rachel says
Hope you love it, Amy!
Britt says
Is there a way to use this recipe but in a crackpot? Like browning the meat beforehand?
Rachel says
Good idea, Britt! I’ve never made it that way, but you definitely can. I would cook the bacon and brown all the meat and then add them into the slow cooker with all the rest of the ingredients. Cook on high for about 4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours. If you try making it in the slow cooker, I’d love to hear how it goes! Enjoy :)
Ellen says
I made this for a chili cook-off AND WON! Thank you. I would certainly recommend using “Better than bullion” for the beef stock. I also used red chili pepper from India which gave it quite a bit of heat, but not over bearing.
Rachel says
Woohoo! Congrats on your win, and thanks for stopping by to let me know :) I love this recipe, and I’m so glad you’re loving it too!
Katie says
Oh…my…goodness. This chili is delicious! So many layers of amazing flavors. A few personal edits: I used hot sausage rather than mild, 1 can of IPA beer with the 1 cup of beef stock, and I added approx. 8oz of tomato sauce. I’ve always loathed making chili because I never succeeded in making it exciting, but I can’t wait to share with our guests were hosting tomorrow! You ROCK, Rachel!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
Rachel says
SO happy to hear you love it, Katie! Your changes sound delicious, and I’m so glad you’re excited to serve it. I hope all your guests love it as well! You are so very welcome.
Michelle says
YUM!!! made this last night and it was truly amazing! the meat combo makes it so flavorful. i served it with grated cheddar cheese and garlic toast. i didn’t have a good chili recipe in my box yet, so this one is here to stay!! hubby loved it too :)
Rachel says
I’m so happy to hear that you and your husband loved this chili recipe, Michelle! It’s my favorite :) sounds delicious with the cheddar and garlic toast, too. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your feedback!
Bailey says
This was the best chili I’ve ever had! It was my first time making any sort of chili, and it was delicious! My husband is a huge chili fan, and he said it was the best HE’D ever had!
I’m adding it to the meal list this week! Thanks for sharing!
Rachel says
That makes me so happy to hear, Bailey! You’re making me crave another batch :) thanks for the feedback!
Katie @ Gettin' My Healthy On says
This is the chili recipe I’ve been searching for! My husband is very particular about chili, so I’ve been trying to find a go-to recipe for the future. I made a variation of this last night (I had to sub / exclude a few ingredients based on what I had), and it definitely did not disappoint. I think your claim of “Best” chili is spot-on. ;) Thank you for sharing!
Rachel says
Yay I’m so happy to hear that it was a hit, Katie!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback with me.
Amy says
I think I may have just screwed this up. I just made it so it’s simmering. However, I was following the recipe for the beef cubes and added a cup of water per cube! So I put in 4 cups of that. Is there anything I could add or maybe pull out the water, so as not to destroy the recipe?
Rachel says
Hi Amy – sorry I’m just seeing this, I’ve been out of town without internet. I hope it turned out okay!
Tracy Douglas says
Made Best chili recipe today for the game, we enjoy more “heat” so added red pepper flakes, amped up the chili seasoning and added Pleasoning Bloody Mary seasoning!! Cornbread on the side of course!! Oh and crockpot for the game this afternoon, delish!!
Rachel says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it Tracy!! :) Thanks so much for sharing your feedback.
Cynthia says
I love chili but mine never turns out very good. Tried this recipe Sunday. Really delicious! Definitely will be the only way I make it from now on! Thank you for sharing!
Rachel says
Awesome, I’m so thrilled to hear that Cynthia!! Thanks for sharing :)
Lau says
Hi! The recipe seems pretty delicious, but I don’t know if I messed up :( so…. I used the chili powder but it was from India, full 3 TABLESPOONS, and wow! It waaaayyy spicy, delicious, but not eatable… My question Rachel… Do you use like ready made “chili” as for the stew ready made (like taco mix) product or raw chili? In the case I can use the raw chili, maybe it should have been 3 Teaspoon instead? Help please! :) thanks!
Rachel says
Hi Lau – I used a chili powder that’s from the bottle, not a packet, but it’s not pure powder from a chili pepper, it’s more of a spice blend. That’s what is generally referred to as chili powder here. A true chili powder (like cayenne powder, or what you used) would definitely make it much too spicy for my tastes at least. In my Paleo version, I only used 3/4 teaspoon of cayenne powder. That definitely seems to be the difference. Sorry for not specifying – I would start with about 3/4 teaspoon of your chili powder and add more to taste depending on how spicy you like it. Hope this helps! You also may want to refer to my Paleo Chili recipe and use the spices listed there instead, so you get all the flavor. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Molly says
THIS chili! It’s one of the best recipes I have ever tried. Kids and adults alike rave about it. Thank you!!!
Rachel says
I’m SO happy to hear that, Molly! So glad it’s been a hit.
Lynn says
This is definitely a keeper recipe! I have made this several times now and it is the best chili our family has ever had!
Rachel says
So thrilled to hear your family is loving it, Lynn! Thanks for your feedback.
Ashley says
What type of beer did you use?
Rachel says
Hi Ashley, I just use whatever is in the fridge! Broth can also be subbed for the beer if you don’t have any on hand.
Sam says
Oh my! I don’t do comments, but this time I can’t resist. This chili is going to haunt me in my dreams! I made it yesterday and made a point of following the recipe carefully (not my strong suit) and today we dived into this delicious meal. Loved it. Hubby to be went for seconds and well, I did too actually. I’m on a diet and you’re definitely not helping. O well, we all need to eat, right! I plan to make a huge batch for our family get-together next week, just to show off a bit.
Thanks for sharing your recipe! Greatings, all the way from the Netherlands :)
Rachel says
Thanks so much for your kind words, Sam! So thrilled to hear you’re loving it, and I hope your family all loves it next week :) thank you so very much for your feedback!!